Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 leaks again ahead of official unveiling [Updated]

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 leaks again ahead of official unveiling [Updated]

: , the other phone that Xiaomi will unveil today, also leaked over this past weekend. The leak which shows the handset's retail packaging came courtesy of a relatively well known tipster based out of China. The leak reveals the device is powered by Snapdragon 660 SoC, comes with 6GB/128GB memory configuration, and features 16MP front shooter. Rumors, however, say there'll be 'lighter' version as well (with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage). The , which is , has leaked again. Spotted on Weibo (China's Twitter), the leaked image focuses on the front of the phone, confirming yet again the tri bezel-less design and a comparatively smaller chin. It's already confirmed the handset will be powered by the Snapdragon 835 SoC. As for other key specs, so far have revealed a 6.2-inch 2,960x1,440 pixel AMOLED screen, 6GB RAM, and a either 4,400 or 4,500mAh battery.

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Essential Phone is now available to purchase in US and Canada

Essential Phone is now available to purchase in US and Canada

Late last month, that will reach pre-order customers' hands in the US by the end of the month. And now, it has come to light that the device is available on open sale in the country. The company has the Black Moon color listed on its website for immediate shipping, and is asking $699 for it. Aside from Essential, the device is also being offered by third-party several retailers. While Amazon, Best Buy, and Sprint have the phone listed on their websites, immediate shipment isn't being offered by any of them at the moment. Sprint, however, mentions that the Black Moon variant will begin shipping September 13 onwards. Over in Canada, the only source where you can purchase the phone is Telus, which is currently offering the Black Moon variant for CAD 1,050 (around $865). In a related news, the handset's Camera app has received an update, bringing a couple of notable changes. Basically, the update fixes issues users face while saving 360 videos. Plus, it also speeds up color/mono image fusion. Aside from these two changes, there are some general stability fixes as well. | |

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Galaxy Note8 teardown reveals modular but tough to get to components

Galaxy Note8 teardown reveals modular but tough to get to components

The latest handset to go through the teardown procedures performed by the folks at iFixit is Samsung's new flagship, the . It's managed to fare much better in the repairability department than the , but that doesn't mean the Note8 is easy to get into at all, unfortunately. Any repair you may want to make requires you to remove the glass rear panel, which is a challenging task to accomplish because of how much adhesive is holding it in place. If you want to replace the screen, you'll need to remove both the display assembly and the rear panel both fragile, both secured with very strong adhesive. On the other hand, the Note8 has many modular components inside, including everything that normally experiences wear. This means you can replace bits and pieces independently if you manage not to break the glass while getting in. Another plus for the new Note is that all screws are standard ones. The battery can be replaced, but this is made unnecessarily difficult by the tough adhesive used and the aforementioned glued-in rear panel. In the end, the Galaxy Note8 received a 4 out of 10 repairability score (10 being easiest to repair). That's a far cry from the Essential Phone's 1 out of 10, but even so it means you're better off not attempting any repairs on a Note8 on your own.

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Xiaomi Mi Note 3 gets official teaser, will be the bigger Mi 6

Xiaomi Mi Note 3 gets official teaser, will be the bigger Mi 6

Xiaomi's co-founder Lin Bin is at it again, teasing the maker's upcoming smartphones. In his latest post on Weibo he asks if we want the or a larger version of the Mi 6. The teaser comes accompanied by an image of the . So the Mi Note 3 may be the Xiaomi will launch at the for the next Mi Mix 2. And it looks like there will not be a Xiaomi Mi 6 Plus but rather the Xiaomi Mi Note 3. We've already that the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 could turn up earlier than its predecessor. |

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WhatsApp adds picture-in-picture support for video calls

WhatsApp adds picture-in-picture support for video calls

WhatsApp has updated the stable version of the app with a couple of features that it added to the beta version a while back. Users can now enjoy PiP video calls and have text-only Status messages. We have already discussed the text-only status message feature so we will just talk about PiP here. PiP or picture-in-picture mode is a feature of Android Oreo that lets a video element continue to run in a small window even if the main app is minimized. WhatsApp takes advantage of this feature by letting you minimize your video call to a small window if you leave the main app and switch to something else on your phone. The PiP functionality is only available on Android devices running Oreo.

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Google in talks to buy HTC's smartphone business

Google in talks to buy HTC's smartphone business

HTC hasn't been financially successful for awhile now and it seems it's now fully in danger of being consumed by a bigger company. In this case the rumors point to Google as the interested party. Apparently talks are being held between Google and HTC about a possible acquisition of HTC's smartphone business (leaving the Vive VR business) but the information is strictly unofficial and there are no specific ammounts mentioned. The news is made plausible for two reasons Google needs a hardware manufacturing arm for its Pixel smartphones and HTC has just suffered its worst financial month in 13 years August 2017 saw a year over year decline in revenue of 54% and a 51% decline over the previous month. Rumor has it that to make the Pixel XL 2, which would further decrease HTC's profits (HTC made the first generation Pixel phones). It remains to be seen if Google is interested in buying HTC's smartphone business but the topic brings back flashbacks of the time Google paid big money for Motorola's smartphone business and sold it for just 2 years later. |

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Xiaomi to unveil one more device alongside Mi Mix 2

Xiaomi to unveil one more device alongside Mi Mix 2

Xiaomi may unveil more than one device at its September 11 event. As you might already know, one of the devices is to be , but there's no information about the second one. The Chinese company's president Lin Bin who dropped hints about a second product unveiling in a recent Weibo post. The last October. Alongside it, the company also unveiled the . So it's reasonable to assume that the second device that Xiaomi president is talking about could well be the . Adding weight to this assumption are recent that the Mi Note 3 may arrive sooner than expected. Anyway, the wait isn't long the suspense will be over in a less than a week. So moving on, the post also confirms the Mi Mix 2 will feature facial recognition feature. Lin Bin also shared a teaser video for the Mi Mix 2. It's difficult to spot the exact design of the device, not only because the video is shot that way (it's a teaser), but the clip is blurry as well. Take a look: |

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